Climbing toy



J. H. BURKE. SII.

' CLIMBING TOY. APPLICATION FILED Auaso. I9I9.

1,382,601. Patented Mar. 2,1920.4

anomalia.

. Gunn,

NITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. BURKE, SR., OF ROSSMOYNE, OHIO.

CLIMBING TOY.

Application iled August 30, 1919.

To all lwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES H. BURKE,.S1'., a citizen of the United States, residing at Rossmoyne, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful l'mprovements in Climbing Toys, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to toys, and particularly to climbing toys, that is toys wherein a manikin or figure is provided, mounted upon a cord so that when the cord is pulled taut by a series of jerks, the figure will climb the string.

The general object of my invention is to provide a toy of this description which is very simple in construction, which is amusing in action, and which may be caused to drop to a lower position on the cord after it has climbed to a higher position by simply a proper pull on the cord, thus making it easy to repeat the motion of the figure time after time.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of myfigure toy in what may be termed its firstposition;

Fig. 2 shows the gure in its extended position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective detail showing the eye 20 and the cord 22; and

Fig. 4L shows the figure in an intermediate position between that shown in Fig. 1 and that shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that the manikin or figure comprises a body portion 10 having a rigid limb 11 extendingl therefrom, and a pair of pivoted limbs 12 which are pivoted to thev bodyby means of a pivot pin 13 which may be joined to each other for simultaneous movement by means of a cross pin or brace 14, the cross brace or pin 15, and the pin or brace 16.

' The limbs 12 are illustrated as being the legs of an animal, as, for instance, a monkey, and thev braces 15 and 16 are disposed at the heel and toe of the foot respectively. The limb 10 is illustrated as the arm of theanimal, and an elastic, contractilemember, as, for instance, a spring or rubber band 17V connects the arm 11 with the pin 14 so that the legs are urged upward to the position shown in Fig. 1 by this rubber band or spring.

The pin 16 is larger in diameter than the other pins and is formed with a transversely Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1920.

Serial No. 320,864.

extending aperture 18, this aperture extending toward the pin 15. On the extremity of the arm 11 there is disposed a substantially V-shaped eye 19, and from the outer face of this arm 11 extends an eye 20 which, as illustrated in Fig. 3, is formed to provide an opening with a slot 21, this slot being gradually contracted in width toward the arm. Preferably, this eye is formed by bending a piece of wire to form the eye proper, the two thicknesses of wire being approximated to each other to form the slot 21. A cord 22 is threaded through the eye 19, the eye 20, passed around the pin 15, beneath this pin and through the aperture 18.

In the position shown in Fig. 1, the cord 22 is relatively taut, but no pull is being exerted on it. In this ligure, the body and legs are drawn into angular relation by the elastic 17, and the cord 22 is gripped between the resilient side walls of the slot 21 leading from the eye 20. The cord kthen leads downward and outward around the pin 15, then upward through the pin 16, and then downward. Now when strain is applied to this cord, it will tend to straighten and the cord will bind in the eye 18 upon a direct pull downward, while the'upper portion of the cord will tend to straighten out. This will cause the ligure to move to the position shown in Fig. 1, and the cord V22 will slip out of the slot 21 and into the eye 20. 1f the pull be continued on the two ends of the cord, the foot of the figure will be shifted into a position more nearly in a straight line with the pull on the cord, thus rotating the legs from the position shown in Fig. 4- to that shown in Fig. 2, and inasmuch as the feet. bind upon the cord, the upper portion of the body will move upward until a certain point is reached, where the tension on the cord will force the cord 22 into slot 21. Then if the tension on the cord be relaxed, the elastic 17 will cause the lower portion of the body to move upward to the position shown in Fig. 2. Thus, by a series of pulls on the cord, the figure may be caused to climb up the cord. If, however, the cord, after the figure has taken the position shown in Fig. 1, be pulled slightly so as to cause the cord 22 to slip out of the binding portion of loop 20 into the position shown in Fig. 3, and then the cord be slackened, the figure will swing down to a depending position and the cord will run freely through the opening in the pin 16 and through the enlarged portion of the eye 19 and the figure will slide down to the lower end of the cord.

While I have illustrated the figure of a monkey, composed of the two parts 10 and v12, I wish it understood that any other figure might be substituted for the ligure of a monkey and that it is only essential that ytwo elements should be provided pivoted to each other at 13 and having the eyes 19 and 2O and the pins 15 and 16 and the elastic element 17. I do not wish to be limited to the details of construction illustrated, as it is obvious that many changes might be made in these details without departing from the spirit of the invention. The device as con structed, however, may be very cheaply made and is thoroughly effective in use.

I claim f 1. A toy of the character described-comprising a ligure having a body and a leg pivoted to the body, the leg being formed with an angular foot, an elastic element normally urging the body and leg into angular relation to each other but permitting the leg and body to move into relative alinement, the body of the figure having a projecting arm having an eye at its outer end, the said foot being provided at its heel with a pin and at its toe with a pin having a perforation extending in the direction of the first named pin, a cord extending through the perforation and around the first named pin and then passing upward through said eye on the arm, and an eye projecting from the body of the figure having an enlarged portion through which the cord passes, and a tapering slot extending from the enlarged portion toward the bodyand into which the cord extends and by which the cord is gripped when the body and legs are shifted toward a position in alinement when strain is exerted on both ends of the cord.

2. A toy of the character described comprising a ligure having a body anda leg pivoted to the body, an elastic member urging the body and leg into angular position relative to each other, a cord coacting with the ligure, means at one end of the body over which said cord passes and causing the cord to bind upon that end of the body when the cord beyond this end of the body is pulled and causing the cord to form an angular bight when the body and legs are in angular position, and an eye on the body of the ligure through which the cord passes and having a portion frictionally binding on the cord when strain is exerted on the cord beyond the body to relatively straighten the body and legbut releasing its engagement on the cord when the body and leg are shifted to an angular position when the cord is initially tightened.

3. A toy of the character described comprising a figure having a body and a pair of legs pivoted to the figure, the legs being angular in form and having angularly projecting feet, the feet being connected by transverse pins, the pin at the toes of the feet having an aperture directed toward the pin at the heel of the foot, the body having an outwardly and upwardly projecting arm, resilient means for urging the legs into angular position with relation to the body and toward said arm and beyond the extremity of the arm, an eye projecting from the figure at the base o-f the arm, 4said eye having an enlarged outer portion, and a tapering slot extending inward from said enlarged portion, and a cord passing through the aperture in the pin at the toe of the feet,

passing around the pin at the heel of the.

feet, and then passingupward through the second named eye and from thence extending through the first named eye.

4. A toy comprising a ligure formed of two members pivoted to each other for movement into or out of an angular relationan elastic member urging the two members into angular relation to each other, an operating cord, guides at opposite ends of the figure over which the operating cord passes, the guides at one end of the ligure being so disposed as to cause the movement ofthe `two members of the figure into an approximate alinement with each vother upon strain being applied to the cord, and a loop on one of said members through which the cord passes, the inner portion of the loop being ycontracted in width to frictionally bind upon the cord when the two members of the figure are straightened to thereby hold the member carrying the loop fixed on the cord while the other member is moving to an angular position under the action of the elastic element, said cord being shifted out of the binding portion of the loop upon strain being applied yto the cord while the member is in an angular position.,

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix mv signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES' H. BURKE, S12.

MARC" AMES, 

